The news reported on a daily basis is the news that hits the headlines and in most cases is the most dramatic of the moment, otherwise it would not be news and not worth reporting, right?

Well I have been thinking and for each news article I read I can normally try to see an upside despite the doom and gloom that is being offered. I think that this is important right now, as I have been very conscious of all the news reported lately on here, as being bad news, gloomy reports and all very much depressing stuff!

So I wanted to write a positive spin on some of the items around today to see what my readers of this blog think, so here goes:

Recession to hit the world!

This is a bad thing and no one likes a recession, well you could argue some do though. In a recession the World Banks usually put interest rates down a point or two, so if you are a home owner or more likely the readers of this blog, you are a property investor, then reduced interest rates is great news. Certainly, with my property portfolio, the 1/2 point cut was very welcome indeed on those of my mortgages that are not on a fixed rate – so bring on more cuts please Mr Bank of England! I am sure that all property owners will welcome this relief right now.

During a recession commodities prices are affected and in particular the one that is in most peoples minds is oil prices. Oil prices have dipped to around $66 per barrel this week, having been up at $147 only a few months ago. The price of oil has risen a bit today on the back of growing expectations that oil producers’ cartel Opec will cut output.

“The decision should not leave the producer countries in the situation where they will be joining the group of countries which are already suffering from the financial crisis.” Opec president Chakib Khelil

The value of US light crude recovered today by $1.63 to reach $68.38 a barrel on the back of this news. The likelihood is such that, despite Opec’s cut in production, the price of oil could drop as low as $60 per barrel – probably never thought possible back in July this year when the price was up at the $147 level!

However, the good news on this front is that we are already seeing reductions in pump prices, albeit slower than wished! This is not only good news for motorists, leaving them more money to spend in our businesses, but it also means that transport costs and especially for haulage firms, is cut too. This will all feed though the economy, thereby reducing inflation and leading to further cuts in bank base rates – Yet more good news for property investors!

Property crash, this must be bad news!

Not necessarily, where property prices are crashing, this leaves the market open for those investors looking to buy a bargain. This might seem a little mean, but it is a fact of life that there will always be winners, as well as losers in any market situation. So the good news here is not if you are a property seller, but if you are looking to buy.

The news papers report the bad news about repossessions, however, this does create a business opportunity to snap up a bargain or two from the banks when these types of property come to the auctions. Don’t get me wrong, I do feel sorry for the unfortunate people in the horrible position of having their home repossessed.

The travel and airline industry hit bad by crisis and oil prices

It is a little bit more difficult for me to see a good side to these stories, as we see US Airways and Air France-KLM have both reported heavy losses on their share prices due to the current economic slowdown. American airline US Airways has lost a staggering $865 million (£537 million) in it’s third quarter with shares falling over 14% to $7.28 (£4.50).

The European airline Air France-KLM’s shares have also taken a hammering on the markets when they plunged by as much as 11% to $15.55 (£9.59).

In these cases, the brave might say that the share prices have bottomed out and you can therefore pick-up these shares a low price. One has to be careful though when you look at what was happening with Italian airline Alitalia, as things can and do get worse so you could lose your money. However, after 9/11 in the US, share prices in all the major airlines tumbled, providing a fantastic buying opportunity for the brave and the prices recovered thereafter, making a lot of investors very rich indeed!

The other benefit these problems will have is that travel companies and airlines alike, will need to further streamline their businesses to make themselves more competitive. These streamlining measures will cut costs and thereby allow these companies to pass-on cost cuts to travellers. The airlines will have to put offers out there to encourage people to fly with them, which encourages competition, as all the airlines will need to remain competitive! Thereby, reducing prices further, because another benefit of the recession and the lower oil prices noted above is that airline fuel will be cheaper. Virgin Atlantic was one of the first airlines to cut it’s fuel surcharge on its flights, so a direct benefit to business travellers and to holiday makers alike.

Retail sales in September see a fall

Retail sales in the UK are now growing at their slowest annual rate we have seen in 2 1/2 years, as reported by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The report shows that high street sales fell by 0.4% in September, taking annual growth to 1.8%, from 3.3% a month earlier. An example is that DSG International, which owns Currys and PC World, reported a 7% drop in sales in the half year to 18 October, which is partly due to lower margins.

This is obviously bad news for retailers themselves and the business owners concerned, however, for the consumer this is good news. The retailers will be holding more “Sales” and reducing prices to encourage people to buy – look at what Currys and PC World have said, they are selling at lower margins, which means they are having to cut the retail prices to encourage selling.

The good news is that we are seeing more of a slow-down, which will point more towards a further cut in interest rates by the Bank of England next time around, let’s hope so!

Alitalia is in danger of losing its licence to fly if it fails to present a rescue plan by the end of the day.

Italy’s civil aviation authority ENAC has threatened to withdraw the firm’s operating licence on Thursday if it fails to submit a new plan.

Premier Silvio Berlusconi has summoned the airline’s unions to a meeting in Rome to try to revive rescue talks.

A group of investors withdrew their offer for Alitalia last week after unions rejected the deal.

Alitalia, which is estimated to be losing more than 2m euros ($2.9m; £1.58m) a day, is currently flying with a provisional licence, according to ENAC.

Efforts to save the troubled airline came to an abrupt halt last week.

Italian investor group CAI had offered to take over Alitalia’s profitable assets, but it withdrew its offer last week after some Alitalia unions refused to sign off on their plan.

CAI had pledged to inject $1.4bn into the bankrupt airline, sell off unprofitable assets and merge the rest with Italy’s second biggest carrier Air One.

But six unions, who were unhappy at plans to cut 3,000 jobs, opposed the move. Three unions had backed the deal.

Earlier this week, the administrator for the airline placed advertisements in four newspapers in a bid to lure buyers for the carrier.

Any possible buyers have to express their interest in the airline by 30 September.

News reported by The BBC

The administrator for Italy’s ailing airline Alitalia has placed advertisements in four newspapers in a bid to lure buyers for the carrier.

Administrator Augusto Fantozzi invited “whoever” might be able to guarantee the medium term continuity of Alitalia.

Italian newspapers Corriere della Sera, il Sole-24 Ore and la Repubblica, as well as the UK’s Financial Times carried the advertisements.

Alitalia is estimated to be losing more than 2m euros ($2.9m; £1.58m) daily.

Any possible buyers have to express their interest in the airline by 30 September, but Mr Fantozzi is not hopeful.

Speaking to reporters the administrator said: “There are no prospects for a rescue in reasonable time”.

On Monday the airline had placed the statement seeking buyers on its company website.

The move comes after attempts to negotiate a deal with Italian consortium CAI collapsed last week, when six unions, who were unhappy at plans to cut 3,000 jobs, opposed the move.

Three unions had backed the offer.

On Monday Italy’s civil aviation authority ENAC said it would withdraw Alitalia’s operating licence this week if the firm failed to set out a cost-cutting plan.

The country’s debt-laden flag-carrier is currently flying with a provisional licence, according to ENAC’s president Vito Riggio.

News reported by The BBC

Italy’s civil aviation authority ENAC says it will withdraw Alitalia’s operating licence this week unless it presents a cost-cutting rescue plan.

The country’s debt-laiden flag-carrier is currently flying with a provisional licence, according to ENAC’s president Vito Riggio.

“If the financial plan doesn’t arrive in three to four days the licence will be suspended,” he said.

ENAC is meeting the troubled airline’s special administrator on Monday.

Flight threat

Alitalia is estimated to be losing more than 2m euros ($2.9m; £1.6m) every day, but an attempt to reach a deal with unions and Italian consortium CAI collapsed last week.

The airline’s special administrator Augusto Fantozzi is poised to make an appeal for rescue bids.

“We will proceed with a public request (for offers),” Mr Fantozzi told Il Messagero over the weekend.

“It will formalise what I have been doing – without any results so far despite all my efforts – regarding the main assets.”

Without a rescue, Alitalia flights could be grounded within a week to 10 days. Last week, the airline cancelled a number of flights from Rome’s Fiumicino airport amid rumours it could no longer afford to buy aviation fuel.

Union resistance

Alitalia has been in financial trouble for years.

The possibility of a takeover by Italian investor group CAI collapsed last week after the offer was opposed by six unions, who were unhappy at plans to cut 3,000 jobs. Three unions had backed the offer.

Earlier this year, unions had also blocked Air France-KLM’s bid to buy Alitalia.

Under European competition rules nationalisation of the airline is not permitted.

At the weekend, Silvio Berlusconi said there was little chance of finding a foreign bidder.

“The other big flag carriers aren’t interested in getting Alitalia out of trouble,” he said in a TV interview.

Mr Berlusconi said he still hoped that a solution could be found, but conceded that the airline could be “heading towards bankruptcy procedures”.

News reported by The BBC

Alitalia has cancelled a number of flights from Rome’s Fiumicino airport, increasing fears that the carrier may soon go into liquidation.

The airline confirmed that a number of flights have been cancelled, but denied it had run out of aviation fuel.

On Thursday, a consortium withdrew a rescue offer for Alitalia due to opposition from trade unions.

Alitalia, which filed for bankruptcy protection last month, has warned it is low on cash to buy more fuel.

“We need to return to the negotiating table because there is no-one else in the race” Labour Minister Maurizio Sacconi

Reports say between 20 and 30 Alitalia flights have been cancelled.

Alitalia told the AFP news agency that the move was caused by “technical reasons”.

‘No alternative’

The CAI consortium’s takeover offer was backed by three of Alitalia’s nine unions, but six opposed the plans, due to plans to cut 3,000 jobs.

The Italian government insists that the CAI deal is the only way for Alitalia to avoid liquidation.

“There is no alternative to CAI,” said Labour Minister Maurizio Sacconi.

“We need to return to the negotiating table because there is no-one else in the race.”

There is little the government can now do, as state aid for airlines is illegal under European Union rules.

There were also reports on Friday that Italy’s civil aviation authority may ground all Alitalia planes within 10 days from Monday unless the airline can show a new rescue plan.

Government stake

Under the CAI rescue proposal, the Italian consortium had put forward a 1bn euro ($1.4bn; £790m) offer for the airline.

It wanted Alitalia to merge with Air One, the country’s second-largest airline, while its 1.2bn euro debt would be absorbed by a second firm, which would then be liquidated.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has pledged to do all he can to save Alitalia, in which the Italian government holds a 49.9% stake.

In April, plans for the airline to be taken over by Air France-KLM collapsed when unions refused to accept the terms of the deal.

Alitalia shares were suspended in June and the airline is being run by a special administrator following its move into bankruptcy protection last month.

News reported by The BBC

A consortium of investors proposing to rescue airline Alitalia has withdrawn its takeover offer, raising fears the carrier may go into liquidation.

The Italian group, called CAI, dropped its bid after unions failed to back the deal before a 1400GMT deadline.

While four of Alitalia’s unions had supported the deal, five had objected because of plans to cut 3,000 jobs.

Italy’s flag-carrier has already warned that it is running out of funds to buy all the aviation fuel it needs.

Making its announcement, CAI said it expressed “profound disappointment”.

“Further concessions would inevitably have put the realisation of the plan at risk,” it said.

Cancelled flights

Italian Labour Minister Maurizio Sacconi said before the deadline that the future of Alitalia was “hanging by a thread”.

“The company is dead and some of my colleagues want to be its undertakers” Head of the UIL union, Luigi Angeletti

While Italy’s four main union organisations – CGIL, CISL, UIL and UGL – had signed up to the agreement with the CAI, five other unions had rejected the deal as “useless and provocative”.

Those opposed to the package – SDL, ANPAC, UP, ANPAV and Avia – include pilots and cabin crews.

Their protests forced Alitalia, which is losing 2.1m euros ($3m; £1.7m) daily, to cancel 40 flights on Wednesday.

The head of the UIL union, Luigi Angeletti, attacked those unions that rejected the CAI offer.

“The company is dead and some of my colleagues want to be its undertakers,” he said.

Government role

Under the CAI rescue proposal, the Italian consortium had put forward a 1bn-euro offer for the airline.

It wanted Alitalia to merge with Air One, the country’s second-largest airline, while its 1.2bn-euro debt would be absorbed by a second firm, which would then be liquidated.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has pledged to do all he can to save Alitalia, in which the Italian government holds a 49.9% stake.

In April, plans for the airline to be taken over by France-KLM collapsed when unions refused the accept the terms of the deal.

Alitalia suspended trading in its shares in June and filed for bankruptcy protection last month.

News reported by The BBC